Free or Cheap Things to do in Toronto

Toronto is Canada’s largest, coolest and most multicultural city. It’s a city of endless possibilities, so you might think you need to spend a lot of money to see it all. Not at all! There are so many very cheap or free things to do in Toronto, and here are the top 5 favourites:

Tour Guys’ Free Toronto Tour
Welcome to Toronto – now what to see first? We recommend taking the free tour of the downtown core offered by the Tour Guys. It’s an awesome introduction to city and its history. The guides are really funny and friendly and will teach you a lot in a short amount of time.  Tours run three times a day, every day except for Mondays during the summer. During the off season, tours run on Friday and Saturday.

Royal Ontario Museum
Dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies, Native Canadian art and the Bat Cave – There’s a lot to see in this awe-inspiring museum. But choose wisely because on Wednesday afternoons the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is free for just a few hours. If you need more time, take advantage of half-price evening admission from 4:30 – 9:30pm on Fridays. Or, if you’re a full-time Canadian college or university student, you can enjoy free admission on Tuesdays.

Art Gallery of Ontario
After the free hour at the ROM, the Art Gallery of Ontario is the perfect stop to complete a mini culture tour in Toronto. On Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:30pm admission to the gallery’s permanent collection is free. Here you can take in the world’s largest collection of Canadian art as well as works from across the globe. In fact, just a walk through the newly transformed building is worth the visit to the gallery.

Dream in High Park
If you love Shakespeare, you will adore the Dream in High Park, an outdoor theatre experience that takes place each summer. Grab a blanket, bring a picnic, and enjoy the works of the Bard under a summer starry sky in Toronto’s largest public park. Admission is PWYC (Pay What You Can). If you have time before the show starts, visit the small High Park Zoo and snap some pictures of the llamas and baby deer!

Outdoor Concerts
There always seems to be a music festival going on in Toronto covering all musical tastes- jazz, blues, international, indie, country, hip hop, and much more! And with these festivals comes many free concerts. Not sure what to do one evening? Take a walk past Yonge and Dundas Square or the Harbourfront Centre and there is bound to be a show on. It’s an awesome way to discover Canadian artists. But many big-name international acts have given free shows in the city too, like Cyndi Lauper, Aretha Franklin, Devo, The Pharcyde and more.

Toronto Hostel
These are just some of the free things we at HI-Toronto can recommend in our city! If you would like to know more about what’s going on in Toronto during your stay, check out our HI Toronto Facebook page or become a Twitter Follower and send us a tweet! Or better yet, just ask any of our staff when you check-in; we are a wealth of information!

To Book Toronto Hostel online or to read some of our Customer Reviews and Tips, please visit the HI Toronto Hostel page here.

HI - Toronto Hostel
76 Church St
M5C 2G1 Toronto, Canada
Tel. 1 416 971 4440
Fax. 1 416 971 4088
toronto@hihostels.ca